Anyone out there? - Think Atheist2015-03-31T20:58:47Zhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topics/anyone-out-there?commentId=1982180%3AComment%3A1139420&xg_source=activity&feed=yes&xn_auth=noJust realized this is over a…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-07-20:1982180:Comment:13542692013-07-20T03:45:26.742ZSteveInCOhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/SteveInCO
<p>Just realized this is over a year old. Welcome anyhow, Kelsey, even if a year late.</p>
<p>Just realized this is over a year old. Welcome anyhow, Kelsey, even if a year late.</p> Nice to meet you!
If I have t…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-07-19:1982180:Comment:13540802013-07-19T07:07:05.890ZM.M.http://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/MM
<p>Nice to meet you!</p>
<p>If I have to submit to a label and I dont, I prefer Free Thinker.</p>
<p>But I will refer to you as what ever you chose to call yourself.</p>
<p>Wait till August.</p>
<p>I've been homeless and I dont recommend it.</p>
<p>peace.</p>
<p>Nice to meet you!</p>
<p>If I have to submit to a label and I dont, I prefer Free Thinker.</p>
<p>But I will refer to you as what ever you chose to call yourself.</p>
<p>Wait till August.</p>
<p>I've been homeless and I dont recommend it.</p>
<p>peace.</p> I concur.tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-07-19:1982180:Comment:13541702013-07-19T05:39:15.938Zarchaeopteryxhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/xn/detail/u_2gskiyna07rt3
<p>I concur.</p>
<p>I concur.</p> At 18 years old, there is muc…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-07-19:1982180:Comment:13540712013-07-19T05:29:23.428ZBarry Adamsonhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/BarryAdamson
<p>At 18 years old, there is much for you to learn and discover, and if your smart, that's how it will always be.</p>
<p>At 18 years old, there is much for you to learn and discover, and if your smart, that's how it will always be.</p> First of all, Kelsey, welcome…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-07-19:1982180:Comment:13536852013-07-19T04:20:37.207Zarchaeopteryxhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/xn/detail/u_2gskiyna07rt3
<p>First of all, Kelsey, welcome to TA, where some may think as you do, and some may not - that's what free thinking is all about - secondly, August is not that far away.</p>
<p>First of all, Kelsey, welcome to TA, where some may think as you do, and some may not - that's what free thinking is all about - secondly, August is not that far away.</p> Just as a side note... the o…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-07-18:1982180:Comment:13537972013-07-18T12:54:54.335ZSteveInCOhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/SteveInCO
<p>Just as a side note... the orbital speed for something in an orbit between Mars and Earth wouldn't depend at all on the size of the object. It depends on the mass of the sun (quite close to constant) and the size of the orbit, which is defined as half of the major (long) axis of the ellipse (or, if it's a perfectly circular orbit, the orbit's radius).</p>
<p>It ends up being faster than Mars' velocity and slower than Earth's, depending on just where that object is orbiting. Which makes…</p>
<p>Just as a side note... the orbital speed for something in an orbit between Mars and Earth wouldn't depend at all on the size of the object. It depends on the mass of the sun (quite close to constant) and the size of the orbit, which is defined as half of the major (long) axis of the ellipse (or, if it's a perfectly circular orbit, the orbit's radius).</p>
<p>It ends up being faster than Mars' velocity and slower than Earth's, depending on just where that object is orbiting. Which makes sense if you think about it because they are in (nearly) circular orbits about the sun, why shouldn't their speeds "bracket" the speed of a hypothetical body with an orbit between theirs? Whatever it is though, it's nowhere near the speed of sound as you seem to think it might be, but rather much, MUCH higher. Somewhere between 15 and 18.5 miles per second, relative to the sun. Sound moves, depending on atmospheric conditions--which is why it's hard to pin people down on how fast Mach 1 is--something like 0.2 miles per second. Quite a difference!</p>
<p>Other than that minor detail you are spot on, particularly with your larger point--with the caveat that some people will take things that can't be proven or disproven and classify them as "not even wrong," i.e, not even rising to the level of a <em>wrong</em> statement.</p> I'm gonna take a leap and gue…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-07-18:1982180:Comment:13534522013-07-18T05:07:56.841ZH3xxhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/H3xx
<p>I'm gonna take a leap and guess Baptist? That's what my family forced me to attend as a child. It's kinda hard having this little voice inside your head going "that's wrong, that's wrong, that doesn't even make sense, that's wrong, that'll get you thrown in jail, that's wrong..." while the preacher is up there singing fire and brimstone to the homosexuals. It became unbearable for me when I discovered that I am gay. The hypocrisy of preaching about hate to the gays and how god loves me was…</p>
<p>I'm gonna take a leap and guess Baptist? That's what my family forced me to attend as a child. It's kinda hard having this little voice inside your head going "that's wrong, that's wrong, that doesn't even make sense, that's wrong, that'll get you thrown in jail, that's wrong..." while the preacher is up there singing fire and brimstone to the homosexuals. It became unbearable for me when I discovered that I am gay. The hypocrisy of preaching about hate to the gays and how god loves me was too much for me, and I began requesting to work every Sunday and Wednesday.</p> Nope. Bertrand Russel said th…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-07-18:1982180:Comment:13534982013-07-18T05:00:21.511ZH3xxhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/H3xx
<p>Nope. Bertrand Russel said that there is a china teapot orbiting the sun somewhere between Mars and Earth. Due to the size of a china teapot, it would be impossible to detect if it was moving at a speed capable of maintaining orbit for something so small, somewhere around the speed of sound or higher. It could be there, or it might not. We have no way of knowing.</p>
<p>Carl Sagan provided another one that might stand the test of time better than Russel's teapot. Sagan said that he had an…</p>
<p>Nope. Bertrand Russel said that there is a china teapot orbiting the sun somewhere between Mars and Earth. Due to the size of a china teapot, it would be impossible to detect if it was moving at a speed capable of maintaining orbit for something so small, somewhere around the speed of sound or higher. It could be there, or it might not. We have no way of knowing.</p>
<p>Carl Sagan provided another one that might stand the test of time better than Russel's teapot. Sagan said that he had an invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon that spits heat-less flames living in his garage.</p>
<p>Both of these claims are called Unfalsifiable Hypothesis. They are phrased in a way that they sound like fact, but there is absolutely no way to design an experiment to test them, so they can't be disproven. The thing about unfalsifiable claims is that they can't be proven either.</p>
<p>Theists take things that can't be disproven and assume that that means they must be true, where Atheists take things that can't be proven or disproven, and simply put them to one side until some actual evidence turns up, essentially saying, this is false until proven true.</p> Kelsey,
One way to "buy some…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2012-06-21:1982180:Comment:11440552012-06-21T14:48:10.001ZEdhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/EdwardDelauter
<p>Kelsey,</p>
<p>One way to "buy some time" is to tell your parents the next time they want you to go to church w/ them that you are <em>exploring</em> your faith and want to attend a different church. Now a perfect church to <em>explore</em> those options would be the Unitarian Church. They hold no expectations and are quite comfortable with your believing what you want. Not being a follower of Xtianity or even being agnostic is not a "deal breaker" for them. I dated an American Unitarian…</p>
<p>Kelsey,</p>
<p>One way to "buy some time" is to tell your parents the next time they want you to go to church w/ them that you are <em>exploring</em> your faith and want to attend a different church. Now a perfect church to <em>explore</em> those options would be the Unitarian Church. They hold no expectations and are quite comfortable with your believing what you want. Not being a follower of Xtianity or even being agnostic is not a "deal breaker" for them. I dated an American Unitarian years ago and was amazed at how liberal her religious thoughts were. In my mind their universal attitude of acceptance almost makes them irrelevant as a theistic institution. They are certainly the lesser of organized church evils.</p>
<p>Just a thought..... </p>
<p></p> There's a word for that; it's…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2012-06-21:1982180:Comment:11440422012-06-21T09:30:01.415ZWillie Farnabyhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/WillieFarnaby
<p>There's a word for that; it's called acedia.</p>
<p>I'm conflicted. I joined a UU church in the hopes that I would be able to have some conversation about where I am in my "I don't think so" journey, but I guess I just never knew how to get things started. I also don't really like being preached at but would rather be inspired to another way of looking at things. I ended up not going anymore.</p>
<p>Regardless of your external circumstances, the stuff on the inside needs tending and it's…</p>
<p>There's a word for that; it's called acedia.</p>
<p>I'm conflicted. I joined a UU church in the hopes that I would be able to have some conversation about where I am in my "I don't think so" journey, but I guess I just never knew how to get things started. I also don't really like being preached at but would rather be inspired to another way of looking at things. I ended up not going anymore.</p>
<p>Regardless of your external circumstances, the stuff on the inside needs tending and it's your business and the business of anyone you choose to share it with - and you're here so you're doing that tending. That's great, and it will help you navigate your current circumstances. Good luck!</p>